The present invention relates to sign holders and sign elements.
Conventional sign holders that completely enclose the sign elements have either moving or removable parts. These parts can be a source of problems in that moving parts can break or corrode.
Further, removable parts in a sign holder give rise to problems such as the removable part can be lost, and removable parts can result in unauthorized access to the sign elements in the sign holder. This is particularly a problem at nuclear power plants and other industrial sites where the sign holders are used to post safety signs. It is important that only authorized persons can post, take down, or otherwise change sign elements at nuclear power plants and other industrial sites.
A further problem with conventional sign holders is that they are either so heavy or constructed in such a way that in order to mount them on a vertical surface such as a door or wall, it is necessary to penetrate the surface. This is unsatisfactory for many applications. For example, at nuclear power facilities and other industrial sites, safety signs are posted on fire doors. Under various safety codes, fire doors can not have any object penetrating the door. Thus conventional sign holders cannot be used for this type of application.
Another problem with conventional sign holders is that they are typically made of materials which can rust, shatter, crack, yellow, or otherwise deteriorate with age and/or exposure to heat, cold, light, and moisture
Therefore, there is a need for a sign holder with no moving or removable parts in which the sign elements can be changed only by authorized personnel and which is made out of a material which will not rust, shatter, crack, yellow or otherwise deteriorate, and is light enough and constructed in such a way that it can be mounted on fire doors or other vertical surfaces without penetration of the surface.
The present invention is directed to a sign holder which overcomes these problems A sign holder according to the present invention is adapted for holding a plurality of individual sign elements and comprises (i) an optically transparent front panel, (ii) a rear panel parallel to the front panel, and (iii) a peripheral frame between the front and rear panel. These three elements enclose a display space. The sign holder has opposed sides, a top and a bottom. The sign holder has an access slot in one of its sides near the bottom for inserting and removing sign elements from the holder. The height of the access slot is less than the height of the holder and greater than the height of the sign elements.
The sign holder also has a side hole in its side opposite from the access slot so that a pushing tool can be inserted into the hole for pushing a sign element out of the display space via the access slot. In addition, there is at least one bottom hole in the bottom of the sign holder for receiving a tool for pushing a sign element upwardly in the display space so another sign element can be inserted into the display space via the access slot.
The sign holder can be used in conjunction with a tool comprising at least one prong sufficiently small to fit into the bottom hole and the side holes in the frame. The tool can be used for pushing a sign into the display space by being inserted into the bottom hole and as a pusher for pushing a sign out of the display space via the access slot.
Preferably, the sign holder is of unitary construction with the front and rear panels and the frame being substantially permanently assembled together Preferably, the entire sign holder is made of a plastic which is lightweight and which does not rust, shatter, crack, yellow, or otherwise deteriorate with age or exposure to light, heat, cold or moisture A preferred plastic is polycarbonate